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Oxidative stress has been considered as a pathological mechanism that contributes to initiation and progression of cardiac injury during the Trypanosoma evansi infection. In this sense, the natural compounds with antioxidant and free radical scavenger abilities, such the Achyrocline satureioides essential oil loaded in nanocapsules (AS-NC), may be considered important approach to minimize the cardiac damage. Thus, the aim of this study was to investigate whether AS-NC treatment is able to prevents or reduce the cardiac oxidative damage in infected rats with T. evansi. Heart samples from rats infected by T. evansi showed increased reactive oxygen species (ROS), thiobarbituric reactive-acid substances (TBARS) and glutathione reduced (GSH) levels, while catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activities decreased compared with uninfected and untreated animals. Also, the seric biomarkers of cardiac function increased in the infected animals compared with uninfected animals. AS-NC treatment reduced ROS and TBARS levels, ameliorate cardiac CAT and SOD activities of infected rats, and reduced seric biomarkers of cardiac function. AS-NC treatment protected the heart from oxidative stress caused by T. evansi, which might be due to its antioxidant properties. AS-NC might be considered a promising therapeutic agent against oxidative stress, when associated with nanotechnology., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The aim of this study was to evaluate whether the treatment with Achyrocline satureioides essential oil-loaded in nanocapsules (AS-NC) is able to protect the hepatic tissue against cytotoxic damage caused by Trypanosoma evansi. Thus, the rats were divided into four groups (n = 6 per group): uninfected/saline, uninfected/AS-NC, infected/saline, and infected/AS-NC. At day 4 post-infection (PI), the animals were euthanized and liver and sera samples were collected to perform the hepatic cell viability assay, and to determine seric levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and nitric oxide metabolites (NOx). Cell viability decreased (p < 0.05) in the infected/saline group compared to uninfected/saline group, while the treatment with AS-NC avoided this alteration in infected rats. Seric ROS and NOx levels increased (p < 0.05) in the infected/saline group compared to uninfected/saline group, while the treatment with AS-NC avoided this effect on ROS levels of infected rats. In summary, the treatment with AS-NC was able to protect the liver tissue against the cytotoxic effect caused by the parasite by avoiding exacerbated production of ROS., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

This study aimed to verify the effect of the treatment with A. satureioides essential oil (free and nanoencapsulated forms) and diminazene aceturate on hematological and biochemical variables in rats infected by Trypanosoma evansi. The 56 rats were divided into seven groups with eight rats each. Groups A, C and D were composed by uninfected animals, and groups B, E, F and G were formed by infected rats with T. evansi. Rats from groups A and B were used as negative and positive control, respectively. Rats from the groups C and E were treated with A. satureioides essential oil, and groups D and F were treated with A. satureioides nanoencapsulated essential oil. Groups C, D, E and F received one dose of oil (1.5 mL kg(-1)) during five consecutive days orally. Group G was treated with diminazene aceturate (D.A.) in therapeutic dose (3.5 mg kg(-1)) in an only dose. The blood samples were collected on day 5 PI for analyses of hematological (erythrocytes and leukocytes count, hemoglobin concentration, hematocrit, mean corpuscular and mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration) and biochemical (glucose, triglycerides, cholesterol, alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), albumin, urea and creatinine) variables. A. satureioides administered was able to maintain low parasitemia, mainly the nanoencapsulated form, on 5 days post infection. On the infected animals with T. evansi treated with A. satureioides essential oil (free and nanocapsules) the number of total leucocytes, lymphocytes and monocytes present was similar to uninfected rats, and different from infected and not-treated animals (leukocytosis). Treatment with A. satureioides in free form elevated levels of ALT and AST, demonstrating liver damage; however, treatment with nanoencapsulated form did not cause elevation of these enzymes. Finally, treatments inhibited the increase in creatinine levels caused by infection for T. evansi. In summary, the nanoencapsulated form showed better activity on the trypanosome; it did not cause liver toxicity and prevented renal damage., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)